N E W S L E T T E R Fall 2012

NMC to Honor Theodore Bikel. Judy Collins, and Paul Shaffer with 2012 American Eagle Awards Annual Membership Meeting and Leadership in Music Symposium to be held November 27th The National Music Council will host its 30th Annual American Eagle Awards Luncheon on November 27th at New York City’s Hard Rock Café. This year’s American Eagle honorees include Theodore Bikel, Judy Collins, and Paul Shaffer. Additional awards will be given to children’s television innovator Sonny Fox and Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores. The Council’s Annual Membership Meeting will precede the awards luncheon at 9:30 am. The annual Leadership in Music Symposium will feature this year’s honorees and begin at 10:45 in the Hard Rock Café’s New York Room. For the first time, the symposium and awards ceremonies will be webcast for worldwide viewing. Click here for additional information on the honorees tickets, and sponsorship opportunities.

Legislative Memo: Arts and Arts Education Issues in the Democratic and Republican Party Platforms

With the focus on the November 6 presidential election, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) studied the Democratic and Republican platforms to see what they say (or don’t say) about arts and education reform. Chris Woodside, assistant executive director for advocacy and public affairs at NAfME, cautions, however, that “party platforms are, to a large extent, convention ‘window dressing,’ and they often do not accurately reflect the views of the nominees. Nevertheless, they are a legitimate jumping off point for gaining a better understanding of each party’s general analysis of the issues.”

Strengthening the importance of music in our life and culture since 1940

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Woodside’s assessment of the two platforms from an arts education and education standpoint is as follows: The Democratic Platform

• A significant portion of the Platform is devoted to discussing investment in education. STEM, Pell, and affordable education are all themes that are prioritized.

• The Democratic Platform includes the following statement on arts and culture: “Democrats are proud of our support for arts funding and education. We are committed to continuing the policies and programs that have already done so much for our creative arts industry and economy. Investment in the arts strengthens our communities and contributes to our nation’s rich cultural heritage. We will continue to support public funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, for the National Endowment for the Humanities, and for programs providing art and music education in primary and secondary schools. The entire nation prospers when we protect and promote the unique and original artistic and cultural contributions of the women and men who create and preserve our nation’s heritage.”

Read the Democratic Platform The Republican Platform

• The Platform calls for “Reining in Out-of-Control Spending, Balancing the Budget, and Ensuring Sound Monetary Policy.” It also continues to support a call for a balanced budget constitutional amendment

“requiring a super-majority for any tax increase, with exceptions for only war and national emergencies, and imposing a cap limiting spending to the historical average percentage of GDP so that future Congresses cannot balance the budget by raising taxes.”

• On sequestration, no mention whatsoever is made of the impact that these cuts will have on nondefense programs, including education funding. The Platform calls for eliminating the defense sequester, but nothing more: “Sequestration—which is severe, automatic, across-the-board cuts in defense spending over the next decade—of the nation’s military budget would be a disaster for national security, imperiling the safety of our servicemen and women, accelerating the decline of our nation’s defense industrial base, and resulting in the layoff of more than one million skilled workers. Opposition to sequester is bipartisan; even the current Secretary of Defense has said the cuts will be devastating to America’s military. Yet the current President supported sequestration, signed it into law, and has threatened to veto Republican efforts to prevent it.”

• STEM learning is prioritized throughout the education content of the Platform (a similarity between the GOP and DNC platforms); however, the arts are not mentioned.

Read the Republican Platform

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The NAfME Advocacy and Public Affairs staff will monitor education and arts issues during the U.S. Presidential campaign this fall. Follow those and other developments. Roz Fehr, NAfME managing editor for news, September 13, 2012. © National Association for Music Education (NAfME.org) Music Education: Core to Orchestrating Success A Statement on the Importance of Maintaining Classroom Music in America’s Schools from The Music Education Policy Roundtable As America prepares to elect its next President and Congress, the providers and supporters of sequential, standards-based music education encourage all policymakers to maintain a strong educational foundation for student success in our schools. Music education is an important element of comprehensive education, as recognized in federal education legislation. The Music Education Policy Roundtable remains committed to protecting and growing music programs in our nation’s schools. With record deficits at national and state levels, music educators understand the difficulties elected officials and administrators face in maintaining the proper curricular balance in the classroom. During a time of increased focus on the implementation of math and reading score-based accountability systems, teacher evaluation reform, and charter school growth, however, it is more important than ever that the national education conversation remain

balanced, and also include music education. The benefits of a high-quality classroom music experience are boundless:

• The intellectual and technical skills developed through music education lead to more comprehensive brain development, which contributes to academic achievement in other areas, such as math and reading;

• The honing of self expression and creativity, which not only helps keep students in school but also motivates them to work harder in other classes and assists them with becoming more actively involved in the community as adults;

• Performance opportunities that encourage and nurture lifelong connections and an appreciation for the arts;

• Enhanced teamwork prowess, discipline, and problem solving skills, all of which aid in molding better employees and citizens; and

• A profoundly positive influence on students in disadvantaged communities.

The “hollowing out” of school music programs and declining access to music education for our neediest students poses a serious threat to the American education experience. In response, The Music Education Policy Roundtable made public its Legislative Agenda. We encourage its wide dissemination. When Congress returns in 2013, The Roundtable will be ready and willing to engage both majority and minority leaderships in dialogue focused upon

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new ways to join together in tackling the challenges facing the future of music education. Working with our country’s leadership, the members of The Music Education Policy Roundtable believe that collaborating on a new education agenda, one in which policymakers are mindful of all core components required to produce a successful classroom learning experience, is imperative. America’s music educators look forward to tackling this challenge, while continuing to orchestrate success for students all across the nation! Study First to Detail the Costs of Comprehensive Music Education NAMM Foundation-funded research shows cost averages $187 per student annually for K-12 music education programs

A first-of-its-kind study outlines the actual costs of a comprehensive K-12 music education program. The research, funded by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation’s Sounds of Learning research initiative, calculates a cost for music education averaging $187 per student annually in the sample school district.

Mark L. Fermanich of the Center for Education Policy Analysis in the School of Public Affairs, now part of the Buechner Institute for Governance in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado - Denver conducted the in-depth case study of spending for music programs in a large school district. The study, first published in Journal of Education Finance, is the

first to examine financial resources for music education beyond staffing levels. Research such as this can inform budget and policy debates over support for music and the arts, while districts weigh the costs and benefits of cutting funding.

To investigate this issue further, Fermanich’s study focused on a school district which served over 70,000 students during the 2009-2010 school year. The district includes urban, suburban and rural schools with a total district budget of $853 million. From that $13.9 million was allocated to music education representing 1.6% percent of total district expenditures. The sample school district is moderately diverse with 25% minority students and 25% of the student population designated eligible for Title 1 funds available for low-income families. Participation in elective music programs in the district’s middle and high school levels mirror the district’s demographics, with minorities equally as likely as whites to participate.

“This study sheds light on the true costs of a comprehensive music education,” said Fermanich, a Research Associate at the University of Colorado - Denver. “It also asks school districts to carefully assess the effects of ‘cutting’ music education programs as they seek to reduce expenditures or re-allocate funds away from the arts to tested subjects that are measured for accountability purposes.”

Based on total enrollment, the study reveals that the music education costs average $187 per student annually. Costs averaged $195 per student at the elementary level (grades 1-5) where general music, a 45-minute music class per three-day cycle, is mandatory. Per

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student spending in middle school averaged $189 and $143 in high school, as music instruction is elective at the secondary level.

The school district examined in this study is committed to a robust music program with general music and instrumental music offerings for all grades. The principals and teachers surveyed in the study placed a high value on music’s benefits to their students and their schools. In addition to universal elementary music participation, the study found that over 50 percent of students in middle school and high school participate in elective band, choir and orchestra offerings. The study also found that these core education funds gave these schools better access to quality music instruction. Additionally, participation in school music programs correlated to lowered drop out rates and higher school engagement.

“School districts are facing tough choices as state and local education funding is strained. NAMM encourages school districts to consider the many benefits of music education in comparison to the relatively low cost within the overall budget as revealed by this study,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM. “We cannot sell a child’s education short for what are pennies on the dollar. Music education is among the best investments we can make in our schools and for our children.”

The combined forces of national high stakes accountability with the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law (20 U.S.C. §6301, 2001) and the ongoing budget crisis have led school districts to reduce funding for

subjects that are not assessed for state accountability purposes. But research suggests involvement in music programs may keep kids in school and boost success in other academic subjects, particularly in math (Deasy 2002; Fiske 1999; Helmrich 2010). The public also supports arts education with 93% of Americans responding that the arts are essential for providing students with a well-rounded education.

“This study represents only a first step,” said Fermanich. “Much more can be learned through more complete research into financing and resource uses of music and other arts programs.”

Music Making Helps Boomers Stay In the Groove NAMM’s music making activities during Life @50+, the AARP National Event & Expo in New Orleans show how music helps to maintain the brain throughout life

New Orleans, LA, September 19, 2012—With growing research evidence supporting music’s beneficial impact on the brain, leading advocates for healthy aging are encouraging past and present musicians to stick with their instruments or recommit to learning one. The therapeutic power of music will be put to

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the test this weekend (Sept. 20-22) at Life @50+, the AARP National Event & Expo in New Orleans, as the conference opens with a drum circle, attendees stop into the music making pavilion that will run throughout the show, and with the closing session that will feature the positive effects that music making has on the brain.

To demonstrate the interplay of rhythm on brain function, Mickey Hart, the longtime Grateful Dead percussionist and Trustee of American Folk Life Center, Library of Congress, will headline the closing session at AARP with neurologist Adam Gazzaley, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Gazzaley has extensively studied how the brain handles memory, attention and aging. The Life’s Rhythms Reimagined featured session will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Saturday at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The interactive panel’s rhythm and brain health experts aim to “bang the drum” for additional research on the positive interplay between music and cognitive health. Introduced by Mary Luehrsen from the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), Saturday’s panel is a must-see feature at the annual AARP member conference.

NAMM also supports one of the most popular events at the AARP conference -- a hands-on music-making pavilion that includes an invigorating rhythm experience that will “drum” home the importance of music making to maintain a healthy brain throughout life.

Hart and Gazzaley’s session reinforces recent studies that show how playing a musical instrument can exercise and

strengthen the aging brain. Scientists at Northwestern University’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory found that continuing to play music or take lessons functions as a sort of physical workout for the brain. The resulting “auditory fitness” can help us as we age to perceive speech and recognize sounds in noisy environments.

Playing music also has been shown to help compensate for age-related cognitive decline. A 2011 study by Brenda Hanna-Pladdy, a neuropsychologist at the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Neurology, confirmed that individuals with at least 10 years of instrumental musical training helped preserve cognitive benefits, including memory, as they aged.

While Hanna-Pladdy’s study looked at the later-in-life benefits of having learned a musical instrument as a child, her findings also suggest that it’s never too late to get involved in making music. Playing music in advanced age is also associated with maintaining visuospatial judgment and the ability to interpret and retain what one sees.

Musical America Releases Visa Guide for Visiting Artists Musical American has recently released U.S. visas for visiting artists: How to navigate the maze The study surveyed managers, presenters, lawyers and the U.S. government to find out how to speed this sometimes overwhelming process. The guide focuses on the proven methods for success:

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♦ The realistic visa application timeline ♦ What performing groups need for P-1 visas ♦ The best way to get a visa for an unknown artist ♦ Application tips from USCIS & the U.S. State Dept. Download the Free Special Report NAMM Foundation Invites Music Teachers and School Administrators to Attend "Music Education Days" at the 2013 NAMM Show

Carlsbad, CA, October 1, 2012—The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) invites music educators and school administrators from across the country to Anaheim, Calif. to experience NAMM’s “Music Education Days.” The sixth annual event will be held January 26-27 at the 2013 NAMM Show.

Hosted by the NAMM Foundation, music educators and school administrators will have access to NAMM’s premier industry-only music product trade show, where they will have an opportunity to

preview the latest instruments, products and tools relevant to today’s music classrooms.

“Now in its sixth year, Music Education Days continues to celebrate and support music educators in their very important role of inspiring children to learn to play music,” said Mary Luehrsen, executive director of the NAMM Foundation. “This event brings together music education professionals to network with the industry and each other, but it also offers tools to create even better music programs in their districts.”

Music Education Days will again feature inspiring musical performances each morning beginning at 9:30, followed by session briefings and program highlights. Afternoon breakout sessions will cover topics for music educators ranging from “How to Start a Mariachi Program” and “Technology for Music Educators” to “Adding Group Guitar to Your Program” and “Top 10 Tips for Music Teacher Success.” In addition to networking and reviewing best practices, teachers will have the opportunity to explore miles of new music product displays and examine new products and technologies they can use in their schools.

Registration for Music Education Days is $25 per person from Oct.17, 2012 until Jan. 3, 2013, and $50 per person from Jan. 4-23, 2013. There will be no registration onsite. Music educators can RSVP here before Jan. 3, 2013 to receive an invitation.

About The NAMM Foundation The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the mission of advancing active participation in music-making across the lifespan by

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supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. For more information about the NAMM Foundation, visit www.nammfoundation.org.

MEMBER REPORTS AATS The American Academy of Teachers of Singing meets five times a year in New York City to discuss opinion papers. The last year was devoted to Keeping Music in the Schools: Advocating for the Arts as Core Curriculum, an issue of great importance in 2012. The members of the Academy believe that all children should have the opportunity to participate in musical activities and receive music education from highly qualified and inspired teachers. The paper was presented at the NATS Conference in Orlando and can be read in its entirety at the Academy website: www.americanacademyofteachersofsinging.org.. Readers are invited to post comments through the moderator. Papers written by the Academy are available for the use of other authors as long as there is an acknowledgement of the source. The Academy is implementing online conferencing to accommodate members outside the New York area in order to

increase participation. Recent new members are Norman Spivey and Katherine Ciesinski. ASCAP ASCAP Music Chosen for Library of Congress National Registry Last May, the Library of Congress announced 25 new additions to the National Recording Registry, and ASCAP members are among those with musical works being selected for the esteemed collection. These include Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain, a live recording of The Grateful Dead’s 1977 concert at Cornell’s Barton Hall, Donna Summer’s "I Feel Love" and Leonard Bernstein’s 1943 debut with the New York Philharmonic. Other ASCAP members selected for their notable performances are Parliament and Stan Kenton and His Orchestra. The 13th Annual ASCAP Concert Music Awards Held in NYC The 13th annual ASCAP Concert Music Awards were held in May at Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center in New York City. ASCAP member, composer, musician, and author Peter Schickele hosted the invitation-only event, which recognized the achievements of ASCAP’s 2012 Concert Music Honorees who represent the diverse aesthetic spectrum of the concert music world. These honorees included George Walker, Roulette, Bridge Records, Delta David Gier, Kathleen Supové and 21 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award recipients.

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ASCAP "Adventurous Programming" Awards Presented at League of American Orchestras and Chorus America Conferences This past June, ASCAP presented 24 awards to orchestras which have demonstrated exceptional commitment to contemporary composers, including the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Awards were presented to four choral ensembles – San Francisco Choral Artists, Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble, Piedmont-East Bay Children’s Choir, and Coro Allegro – for prominently featuring music written within the past 25 years during the 2011-2012 concert season. The ASCAP Foundation "Sunlight of the Spirit" Award Made Possible by Mariana and Paul Williams ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams and his wife Mariana have established The ASCAP Foundation "Sunlight of the Spirit" Award to be presented to an individual who is exemplary in recovery and in music creativity. The inaugural presentation of the scholarship will be made by Paul and Mariana on December 12th at the annual ASCAP Foundation Awards Ceremony held in New York City. The ASCAP Foundation and Copland House Inaugurate Emerging Composers Institute This summer, Copland House, with major support from The ASCAP Foundation, successfully inaugurated a new Emerging Composers Institute. Five gifted young composers participated in the launch of this exciting

new program entitled CULTIVATE, directed by composer and Copland House founding clarinetist Derek Bermel. CULTIVATE was conceived of as a creative workshop and mentoring program dedicated to developing the talents of exceptionally gifted American composers in the initial stages of their professional careers. Songwriter/Producer Alonzo "Zo" Lee Records with Students in St. Louis As a part of the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES, a mentorship program funded by The ASCAP Foundation that provides a platform for songwriters to engage and inspire elementary and middle school students in under-resourced neighborhoods, Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer Alonzo “Zo” Lee (Ludacris, Britney Spears) recorded a song with the students of America SCORES St. Louis. The song, “I Believe In Me,” was written and produced by Zo, Tendai for The Trak Starz/Starz Angels and America SCORES students from 14 cities across the nation. It features Psalm One, Flo and the America SCORES St. Louis students. 44th Annual ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards Announced ASCAP has announced the winners of the 44th Annual ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for outstanding print, broadcast and new media coverage of music. The winners, including Blues music program Beale Street Caravan and Chorus America, will be honored at a special invitation-only ceremony and reception on Wednesday, November 14th at ASCAP’s New York offices.

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ASCAP Invades the 35th Mill Valley Film Festival ASCAP was proud to produce the first-ever Mill Valley ASCAP Music Café, a series of music showcases at this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival, one of the longest-running and influential film festivals for independent and world cinema in the country. John Doe, Pomplamoose, Robert Schwartzman, 2AM Club and more all brought their unique flavor to the 3-day event. ASCAP Launches ASCAP OnStage ASCAP announced the launch of ASCAP OnStage, a new addition to ASCAP's public performance survey. This new program provides ASCAP members an opportunity to receive royalties when their music is performed live at venues of all sizes throughout the country. With ASCAP OnStage, writer members can notify ASCAP of live performances of their work with just a few basic details and a list of the performed songs. A royalty, based upon venue license fees, is then distributed to the writers and publishers of the songs as part of their quarterly ASCAP distribution. ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO Pre-Sale Announced The eighth annual ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO will take place April 18th – 20th, 2013 in Los Angeles, CA at the Loews Hollywood Hotel (formerly called the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel). Registration will open on November 1st, but a Pre-Sale via the ASCAP EXPO Twitter (@ascapexpo) and Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/ascap) will be held on October 30th and 31st.

ASCAP Rocks CMJ at The Canal Room ASCAP held its annual showcase as part of the CMJ Music Festival on Wednesday, October 17th featuring bands from across the musical spectrum and around the country, including Monsters Calling Home, Air Traffic Controller and Gemini Club. ASCAP Celebrates Women Behind the Music ASCAP kicked off its 4th annual ASCAP Presents… Women Behind the Music in October at the swanky New York club Tenjune. The series is designed to encourage and recognize women in the music community, highlighting not only women songwriters and artists, but women working in all facets of the business, including managers, attorneys, label executives and music publishers. Events were also held in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Songwriting Retreat Gives Vets New Outlet for Stories of War The ASCAP Foundation and Bob Woodruff Foundation partnered with U.S. Songwriter Darden Smith in presenting Songwriting With: Soldiers, a new collaborative program initiated with the goal of providing stress relief for returning U.S. veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injuries. Ten former military servicemen and women had a unique opportunity to share their stories with professional songwriters during the retreat at the Cedarbrake Renewal Center in Belton, Texas, from October 26th-28th, 2012.

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The Chopin Foundation of the United States The Chopin Foundation of the United States is a national non-profit organization based in Miami, whose mission is to support young talented musicians, and make classical music accessible to the general public. We present programs locally in South Florida, and nationally and internationally in partnership with other musical organizations and presenters. The Chopin Foundation is a member of the International Federation of Chopin Societies. The 2011-2012 season of the Chopin Foundation has been truly exciting in its eclectic showcase of concerts and in its global reach. We are also pleased to report that our “Chopin for All” FREE Concert Series, initiated in 1996, has been more successful than ever. Attendance at both venues is impressive, and continues to grow, season after season. Our salon-style Membership Concerts at La Gorce Country Club in Miami Beach enjoyed an average attendance of 140 per concert. 1. The “Chopin for All” FREE Concert

Series in South Florida consisted of seven monthly concerts, each presented twice: on Saturdays at the Broward County Main Library in Fort Lauderdale and on the following Sundays at Granada Presbyterian Church in Coral Gables. The series opened in November 2011 with Eduard Kunz, a phenomenal young Russian pianist who came to us via the Winners’ Exchange Program with the International Paderewski Piano Competition.

In December, the Karkowska Sisters Duo presented a highly entertaining and educational program, “Virtuosity - Chopin and the 19th Century Paris,” with Kasia, piano and Ania, violin. In January 2012, we presented three outstanding 2011 Chopin Scholarship recipients: 15-year-old Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, 17-year-old Drew Petersen (both studying at Juilliard) and 18-year-old Kate Liu (just accepted to Curtis); charming and accomplished teenagers all, they wowed the audience with their youthful bravura. In February, Kinga Augustyn, violin and Magdalena Baczewska, piano, performed a beautiful valentine of a program called “The Romantic Violin.” In March, our annual Young Pianists Concerts featured 31 of South Florida’s best young local pianists, ages 9-17, as recommended by local music teachers; 15 young pianists performed in Broward and 16 in Coral Gables in an all-Chopin program, leaving audiences astounded at the caliber of playing. In April, an outstanding 24-year old American pianist, Sara Daneshpour, enchanted the audience with her verve and virtuosity, and In May, in a real Grand Finale, 19-year-old Nikolay Khozyainov from Russia, the youngest finalist of the 2010 Int’l Chopin Competition who came to us fresh from taking First Prize at the 2012 Dublin International Competition just days before, concluded the season and left audiences breathless, clamoring for more, and declaring him a superstar.

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2. The Membership Series of salon-style concerts this season presented three Masters of the Piano, all jurors of the 2010 National Chopin Piano Competition. The Chairman of the Jury, Agustin Anievas, opened the series on November 11, 2011; Tian Ying, faculty member at the Frost School of Music, was featured on February 26, 2012; and an exquisite concert by Juana Zayas closed this elegant series on April 15. All concerts were held at La Gorce Country Club in Miami Beach.

3. The Scholarship Program this year brought in 20 applications from young pianists ages 14 to 17 years old. The Scholarship Committee selected eight full ($1,000) scholarships in all four-year categories, and four half ($500) awards to first-year promising applicants, as encouragement to continue their studies.

4. Collaborative and Special Events.

This season was very special for us, as it included two appearances by the electrifying, internationally renowned pianist Claire Huangci, Winner of our 2010 National Chopin Piano Competition. She started our season with a collaborative concert as part of Festival Miami on October 9, 2011, performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Frost Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Sleeper conducting, to a sold-out concert hall, and returned to South Florida on April 1, 2012, to perform Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22, with the Boca Raton Symphonia led by Philippe Entremont. In between, on January 29, 2012, in collaboration with the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine

and Atmospheric Science, we presented an American rising star of the cello, Jonah Kim, accompanied on piano by Geoffrey Loff, a doctoral student at UM/Frost School of Music. On February 17, in collaboration with the City of Sunrise, “The Romantic Violin” concert with Kinga Augustyn and Magdalena Baczewska was presented at the Sunrise Civic Center.

5. In March 2012, at the Annual

Conference of the Music Teachers National Association, the Chopin Foundation for the first time awarded Chopin Prizes, of $500, $1,000 and $1,500, to three young pianists, in three age categories. The top winner of the 2012 MTNA Chopin Prize, Yi-Yang Chen, will be presented in this season’s “Chopin for All” FREE Concert Series. The Chopin Foundation will continue these awards for years to come, thus encouraging young piano students from all over the country to study the music of Frederic Chopin.

6. Two issues of our semi-annual magazine Polonaise, Fall 2011 and Spring 2012, were published and distributed this season. For each edition, 3,500 copies were mailed to schools of music and music teachers, as well as to our partners, members, Chopin Societies and selected music organizations around the world, and young pianists across the USA.

7. International Involvement. In

November 2011, the American First Prize Winner of our 2010 National Chopin Competition, Claire Huangci, performed in Poland, as part of our Winners Exchange Program with both the Paderewski International

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Competition and the National Institute of Fryderyk Chopin in Warsaw. In exchange, we presented in South Florida two internationals: the First Prize Winner of the 2010 International Paderewski Competition, Eduard Kunz, and the youngest finalist of the 2010 International Chopin Competition, Nikolay Khozyainov, both from Russia. Claire toured Poland again last September, performing five concerts in Warsaw, Lodz and within the Chopin Festival in Antonin.

In August 2012, Jadwiga Gewert, Executive Director of the Chopin Foundation, represented the USA Chopin Societies at the meeting of the Board of Directors of the International Federation of Chopin Societies in Gaming, Austria. The Conductors Guild The Conductors Guild will hold its next annual conference June 15-18, 2013 at the St. Louis Union Station Marriott. The next Conductor Training Workshop will be hosted by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra at Regent University in Norfolk, Virginia, December 18-20 with JoAnn Falletta and Jorge Mester. The fifth annual Frederick Fennell Memorial Conducting Masterclass will be held at the Eastman School of Music February 7-9, 2013. This coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Eastman Wind Ensemble and will include a special anniversary concert with workshop faculty members Donald Hunsberger, Mark Scatterday and Michael Votta Jr. More information is available on www.conductorsguild.org.

Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity welcomed a new National Patron. Dr. Nickitas Demos, Professor of Composition and Coordinator of Composition Studies at the Georgia State University School of Music, was inducted in Lexington, Kentucky at the Delta Omicron Triennial Conference by Jennifer A. Klafeta, International President. The induction occurred after the premier of his Delta Omicron Foundation Thor Johnson Commissioned piece “Rites of Passage.” Delta Delta Chapter was reactivated on April 22, 2012 on the campus of the Georgetown College, Georgetown, Kentucky. Presiding at the installation of the chapter was Ann Jones, Past International President. Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity’s mission is to promote and support music and musicianship. The Fraternity was founded in 1909 at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music by three undergraduate students. It is the only music organization of its kind founded by students for students. With over 28,000 initiated members, the Fraternity strives to develop professional competency and musical achievement among its members and is an outstanding service organization. The Fraternity and its affiliated Foundation award summer scholarships and educational grants annually to selected alumni and collegiate members and an annual scholarship to Interlochen. Annual rotating grants are awarded to chapters for use in the community or campus. The Delta Omicron Foundation sponsors the Delta Omicron Studio at

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the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire and has seat endowments at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Fraternity information may be accessed at www.delta-omicron.org.

MTNA Music Teachers National Association continues to develop new programs and initiatives to meet the needs of its independent and collegiate teacher membership and further the value of music study nationwide. Activities and new initiatives include: MTNA Hosts Music Teaching Professionals from Iraq MTNA hosted a group of music teaching professionals from Iraq to national headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 7, 2012, as part of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. Their program is arranged by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The visitors were studying music education in the public and private sectors in communities in the United States. Recreational Music Making and Group Piano Specialist Program The newly created MTNA Specialist Program provides music teachers an opportunity to obtain a designation as a teaching specialist in the areas of RMM (Recreational Music Making) and/or Group Piano. The Specialist designation demonstrates to the public, employers, and peers that a teacher has devoted special attention to a particular teaching approach and has demonstrated specific understanding of

the teaching approach to obtain the designation. Upon completion of requirements, applicants are granted the designation MTNA RMM Specialist or MTNA Group Teaching Specialist. 2012 MTNA Collegiate Chapters Piano Pedagogy Symposium The second MTNA Collegiate Chapters Piano Pedagogy Symposium will be held November 3–4, at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. The Symposium is designed to further promote communication, fellowship and collaboration among future music professionals. 2013 MTNA National Conference The 2013 MTNA National Conference will be held March 9–13, in Anaheim, California. Highlights of the conference include recitals by the Ahn Trio and the Anderson & Roe Piano Duo. Nearly 2,000 teachers, exhibitors and student competitors are expected to attend this event. NFMC The 57th Biennial Convention of the National Federation of Music Clubs will be held at the Hyatt Regency Greenville, Greenville, SC on June 25-29, 2013. The Biennial Young Artist Competition will also be held at the Hyatt Regency in Greenville, June 24-26, 2013. The concert featuring the winners will be on June 27. Management of the winners will begin immediately and winners will be featured throughout the United States during the 2013-2015 biennium. The preliminary judging of the NFMC Ellis Duo-Piano Competition is currently underway with a semi-finalist determination being made by December 10, 2012. The finals are scheduled for

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June 5-6, 2013 at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS. The Ellis winners will also be managed by NFMC. The NFMC website has been updated and you can find current information by clicking on www.nfmc-music.org. NFMC Headquarters are in Greenwood, IN. The 32nd President is Carolyn C Nelson; she resides in Fargo, North Dakota. National Guild for Community Arts Education National Guild Turns 75: Celebrating the Past, Embracing the Future Founded in 1937, the National Guild for Community Arts Education is celebrating its 75th year as the leading service organization for community arts education providers in the United States. The National Guild’s mission is to support and advance access to lifelong learning opportunities in the arts. It pursues this mission primarily by fostering the creation and development of nonprofit arts institutions and government agencies that ensure community-wide access to arts education. Today the National Guild provides essential research and information resources, professional development and networking opportunities, advocacy, funding, and high-profile leadership to its 460+ member organizations and the broader field of 7,500+ community arts education providers nationwide.

The National Guild’s member institutions collectively serve 1.2 million students, employ over 16,000 teaching artists, and reach an additional six million Americans through performances and

exhibitions. They provide instruction in urban, suburban and rural communities in 45 states and include a diverse network of community arts education providers including community schools of the arts, arts and cultural centers, and arts education divisions of performing arts organizations, museums, park and recreation departments, local arts councils and other organizations. Current national initiatives and partnerships include the MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education Program, the Creative Aging Initiative and Engaging Adolescents Initiatives, and the Community Arts Education Leadership Institute. Major initiatives in its history have included Creative Communities—a $4.65 million, multi-year collaboration with the NEA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development—and the New Arts Schools and Centers program, for which the National Guild received a 1995 NEA Challenge Grant. The National Guild remains dedicated to the continued growth and diversity of its membership; to connecting its members with highly relevant, quality programs and services; and to increasing awareness about the value and positive impact of community arts education so that all Americans will understand and appreciate the value of music and the arts in their lives and in the lives of their communities. Register Now for the Conference for Community Arts Education in Dallas October 24 is the advance registration deadline for the National Guild’s Conference for Community Arts Education (www.communityartsed.org) to be presented in Dallas, November 14-17, 2012. Presented annually, the conference provides essential professional development and networking opportunities for staff,

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faculty, trustees, and teaching artists. For more information and to register online, visit www.communityartsed.org. The program features dozens of workshops, roundtables and program showcases designed to help you increase participation and impact, enhance performance, raise money, sustain key programs, and advocate for music and arts education. Key topics this year include collaboration and partnership, measuring impact, and ensuring equitable access to arts learning opportunities.

Some of the nationally renowned speakers and trainers who will be presenting at this year’s conference include Gigi Antoni, president & CEO, Big Thought; Eric Booth, arts consultant, educator and author; Shakti Butler, artist and racial equity educator; Roy Ernst, New Horizons Bands founder; Ayanna Hudson, NEA director of arts education; Sarah Johnson, director of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute; Marc Bamuthi Joseph, artist and youth arts leader; Jan Masaoka, board development and nonprofit management expert; John McCann, leadership consultant and educator; Dennie Palmer Wolf and Thomas Wolf, well esteemed consultants; and many others.

Horton Named National Guild Program Director James C. Horton has been appointed as program director for the National Guild for Community Arts Education. Horton will help the National Guild strengthen, develop and grow its programs and services for maximum impact, and help develop its strategic priorities, which include collaborations within and beyond the arts sector.

Horton has over a decade of experience in youth development, arts education, and community engagement. Previously he served as program director for the Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ)’s Employment & Technology Center, where he developed Technology & Arts (TechnoArts) learning initiatives serving more than 350 Harlem youth. Prior to this position, Horton was the video and performing arts coordinator for HCZ’s TRUCE Arts & Media program, a 2005 recipient of the prestigious Coming Up Taller Award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. He also served as a performing arts and video teaching artist working with young people to develop their voices through film and theater. Horton is the founder of The Cure summer program which teaches community members about HIV/AIDS through the arts. He has also produced numerous events showcasing and highlighting the artistic achievements of NYC youth, and has worked in collaboration with The Fund for the City of New York in developing web portals that would provide links to resources for under-serviced communities nationwide. He studied theater at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA and is a graduate of Columbia University's Institute for Not-For-Profit Management in New York City.

SESAC

SESAC offers a new and ground-breaking development in royalty distribution

SESAC has accelerated domestic/terrestrial radio performance royalty payments from the traditional

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quarterly distributions to monthly distributions. The nation’s most progressive performing rights organization plans to expand the monthly royalty distributions to other performance platforms later this year.

“We are proud to provide this accommodation to our affiliates and to continue SESAC’s legacy of providing the best level of service to songwriters and music publishers,” said Pat Collins, President and Chief Operating Officer.

SESAC utilizes the advanced tracking technology provided by Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) to monitor radio and ensure the most complete and accurate radio royalty payment to its affiliates. SESAC, the first performing rights organization to fully integrate fingerprinting technology into its survey and distribution systems, continues to build on the efficiencies of pioneering technology to further expedite payments to rights holders.

SESAC Hosts 2012 Pop Music Awards

SESAC awarded Rico Love with top honors at the 16th Annual SESAC Pop Music Awards. He was named Songwriter of the Year at the event which was held May 10th at NYC’s Skylight Soho. Multi-platinum superstar Usher made a surprise appearance at the awards to present his friend and collaborator Love with the prestigious award.

Songwriter Jacob Luttrell captured Song of the Year honors for smash hit, “Tonight (I’m Lovin'’ You)” as recorded by Enrique Iglesias. Bryan-Michael Cox Celebrated with the “Inspiration

Award”. SESAC Publisher of the Year honors went to EMI Foray Music.

SESAC Honors Film/TV Music Composers

SESAC honored its stellar roster of top film and television composers with the annual SESAC Film & Television Composer Awards. The invitation-only event was held at the chic Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica, CA, and celebrated the composers of music featured in the year’s biggest films, primetime television shows and cable programs.

The SESAC event bestows awards to music composers in the categories of Network TV, Local TV, Cable TV and Film Composing. With over 60 awards given during the evening, some of the most highly rated shows acknowledged were Grey’s Anatomy, Dateline NBC, Parenthood, Two And A Half Men and House, among many others.

A major highlight of the evening was the Legacy Award presentation to composer/musician Bruce Miller in recognition of “the outstanding contribution to the world of music” he has made through musicianship, creativity, professional leadership and entrepreneurial contributions. Miller has composed music for such television shows as Frasier, Designing Women and Becker as well as his work on the groundbreaking documentary, A Man From Hope, that was an integral part of Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. Miller was on hand to accept the award in front of his family and colleagues.

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SESAC Promotes Peniece Le Gall To Director, Writer/Publisher Relations

SESAC, has announced the promotion of Peniece Le Gall to the position of Director, Writer/Publisher Relations. Le Gall, who will head SESAC’s Atlanta office, will be responsible for recruiting new and established songwriters and publishers in all musical genres as well as maintaining relationships with current affiliates. Le Gall was most recently SESAC’s Coordinator for the Atlanta office, where she provided support for all SESAC Atlanta’s special events including “Tempo Tuesdays,” the educational lecture series featuring speakers from various aspects of business.

SESAC’s Dennis Lord Receives AMA Award

SESAC’s Executive Vice President Dennis Lord was presented the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for an Executive at the Americana Music Awards held September 12 at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium for his ongoing support of the Americana genre. Lord, who served as president of the first Americana Music Association board of directors, was on hand to accept the award at the event, which honors excellence in the musical genre.

Sigma Alpha Iota

Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity had a wonderful triennial convention in Atlanta, Georgia in August. The IAMA (InterAmerican MusicAwards) series is published by CF Peters, and at this convention world premieres for three new compositions

were presented. Linda Robbins Coleman, John Heins, and Marilyn Devin all wrote new works for strings. Dr. Joyce Johnson, professor at Spelman College, presented an exciting organ concert at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Atlanta.

New national officers were elected at the convention, and we are proud to announce that Dr. Leslie Odom Miller, oboe professor at University of Florida in Gainesville, will serve as the National President for 2012-2015. Our summer issue of the journal, PAN PIPES, also features a story about the MacDowell Colony and influences on "Porgy and Bess."

nh@sai-national.org; www.sai-national.org